Betsy, a transplant from the Midwest, is a self-employed landscape horticulturist and designer.  She grew up gardening, camping, hiking, and canoeing. “My parents taught us to enjoy and appreciate nature. My earliest memories are of being in the veggie garden with my mom. My dad taught me how to canoe as well as compost, prune, and dig a Christmas tree. I still remember our Saturday morning trips to the recycling center.” Betsy grew up in northeast Ohio but has also lived in central Indiana, northern Virginia, The Netherlands, and upstate New York. “I think landscapes should bring people and nature closer together. Landscapes should be havens for people and wildlife.”

Jenny has called the Wenatchee Valley home for over 10 years. “I see so much good in Sustainable NCW’s community reach and relatable approach to environmental issues. Sustainability truly allows me to expand my creativity and that’s something I want to share.  It opens my mind and challenges me to build things, grow my food and buy less.  As a board member I am committed to share  projects, my efforts to limit waste in my home, tidbits of my plant based diet, a window into volunteer work and a continued support to our tread lightly businesses. If we ease into change and eliminate fear, we can make a difference together. Every little bit counts.” Jenny works as LocelTel's Communications Provisioning Department & Field Manager. 

Rick has called the Wenatchee Valley home since 1988. He worked as a hydrologist for the U.S. Forest Service on the Payette National Forest in McCall, Idaho and here on the Okanogan-Wenatchee NF. Rick spent the last years of his USFS career as a grants and agreements specialist, helping staff glue together partnerships with other Federal, State and local agencies, Tribes and non-profits. That career shift was prompted by the experience of working on the development of the Entiat River Watershed Plan, during which he realized that he enjoyed helping stitch together environmentally-beneficial partnerships and projects for the benefit of all. Rick is a WSU Master Gardener which in part led him toward volunteering at the Wenatchee Rescue Mission to develop and implement a long-term landscape renovation plan for the Mission’s unique 5.8-acre property. Rick’s primary sustainable passion these days seems to be promoting things that will lead to the reduction of landfilling.

Heidi is a Laboratory Manager with the US Department of Agriculture. She has a BS in Conservation Biology and a MS in Ecology, Evolution and Population Biology, both from the University of Wisconsin. Special projects of Heidi's include developing and implementing STEM outreach programs with local grade schools, and actively promoting diversity in STEM fields, especially agriculture research. Heidi started with SNCW as a volunteer, coordinating the first silent auction at the Earth Day Fair. She is on the Earth Day Fair and Fundraising committees.  

Cassie has called Wenatchee home since 2017, originally hailing from the midwest. She studied to become a registered dietitian at Ohio State University and eventually become a PA-C. She now practices at Confluence Health. Her healthcare training has fostered an appreciation for what it means to care for a whole person, and the role that our priorities and environment play into that pursuit. The last few years, she has been practicing paying attention to the sourcing of goods, food and otherwise, and has been excited to buy local in the valley and practice simplicity. She is passionate about the outdoors and the connection between the health of our planet and the health of our selves, mentally and physically. 

Xaxira (Jah-see-rah) is an army brat with Puerto Rican and Bolivian roots who relocated to Wenatchee in October 2019 after graduating law school. She was drawn to our Valley by an opportunity to start her legal services career in a small city with excellent access to public lands. She has lived as far North as Alaska and as far South as Panama. She first learned about environmental stewardship while attending Conserve school, a (now defunct) boarding school in Land O Lakes, Wisconsin. As a lifelong learner, she is excited for the opportunity to learn from board members and connect with and educate our community on actions that we can take to minimize our personal and local impact on this magical Earth.  

Ryan grew up on his family's farm in Royal City, Washington. He graduated from Western Washington University with a B.S. in Environmental Science. He spent 5 years working in California in a variety of fields from trail work to environmental consulting. In 2019, Ryan moved to the Wenatchee area where he works as Grants and Contracts Manager and runs the Habitat Restoration Program for Foster Creek Conservation District. 

In his spare time, Ryan enjoys hiking, skiing, mountain biking, and backpacking. Ryan has always ascribed to the philosophy of leaving a place better than one finds it. His goal is to live that way in his community by finding ways to give back.

Lee is a retired scientist with degrees in physics, mathematics, computational statistics, and engineering.  He began renewable energy research as a Texas Tech engineering professor in 1981 with a DOE research grant. Lee has studied the science of existential threats to our planet, we humans, and Earth's ecosystems due to climate change caused by our reliance on fossil fuels. For several years Lee has been fully dedicated to climate advocacy by meeting regularly with his Congresspersons and state Legislators, seeking to preserve a survivable climate and environment for our grandchildren.

With a love for the outdoors, Elizabeth is an environmental conservationist. She is inspired by the magnificent landscapes of central Washington and the community members engaged in sustainability to protect them. Her background is natural resource management, including installing habitat enhancement
projects for fish, wildlife, and pollinators and administering clean water and water conservation programs. She is also experienced in environmental interpretation and organizing field tours for audiences of all ages. Elizabeth earned a Professional Science Master's in Fisheries and Wildlife Administration from
Oregon State University. Currently, she works as the agriculture programs specialist for Cascadia Conservation District.
 

As an SNCW board member, she wants to share information about sustainability so people can evaluate their own practices and initiate efforts that lead to community-wide conservation. She hopes to build upon her own sustainability practices too. Say hi at an SNCW event!